Yun Xi: Braised or Steamed?

"Damn system, why is this Pikachu so resistant to me?"

Yun Xi felt helpless at this moment; he had originally expected to receive something good.

It turned out the mission reward was just an egg, but the easygoing Yun Xi could accept that well enough.

After all, judging by the explosion at its birth, this Pikachu already possessed combat capabilities equivalent to a Chunin.

Yet, in the end, Yun Xi discovered to his dismay that Pikachu held hostility toward him, while it was incredibly obedient to Karin.

If this wasn't being scammed by the system, what was?

"Ding, the system has not scammed the host. Because your companion used sensory techniques to make contact with Pikachu before it was born, it is naturally closer to her."

Faced with Yun Xi's confusion, the system emerged once again to explain.

Confronted with the system's explanation, Yun Xi wore a look of resignation and waved his hand, saying, "Karin, you can take care of this yellow-skinned rat..."

Ultimately, Yun Xi accepted the fact that Pikachu didn't like him.

He tossed Pikachu to Karin to serve as her summoning animal.

However, this was a decent solution; after all, with his current combat power, Yun Xi no longer had much use for a Pikachu with only Chunin-level strength.

Karin was merely a support ninja, and her combat capabilities were limited after all.

The appearance of Pikachu would perfectly bolster Karin's fighting ability.

Besides, Karin belonged to him, so giving Pikachu to her wasn't an unacceptable outcome.

"Thank you, Brother Yun Xi!"

Upon hearing Yun Xi's words, Karin's face lit up with excitement.

It was clear that Karin was quite fond of this summoning animal that looked like a yellow-skinned rat.

After settling Pikachu, Yun Xi parted ways with Karin and went to his own room, where he promptly went to sleep...

Don't ask why Karin and Yun Xi weren't sleeping together!

Yun Xi was only six years old!

The night passed without incident...

Clearly, the news of the Uchiha Clan being completely wiped out was a massive shock to the civilians of the Hidden Leaf Village.

After waking up in the morning, Yun Xi noticed that the usually bustling streets were deserted.

At the same time, a strange atmosphere permeated the entire village.

Anbu and Root Division ninjas appeared on the streets one after another; the entire Hidden Leaf Village seemed to be bracing for a storm.

"Karin, stay home with Pikachu for the next two days and don't go out."

Seeing this atmosphere, Yun Xi warned Karin and Pikachu with a cautious expression.

After all, the identities of these two were somewhat special.

One was an orphan of the Uzumaki Clan from the Land of Whirlpools, just brought back from outside the Hidden Leaf Village.

And the other...

As for this yellow-skinned rat, Yun Xi couldn't be bothered to mention it!

"Understood, Brother Yun Xi."

Hearing Yun Xi's instructions, Karin acted very obediently, feeding Pikachu while staring at Yun Xi.

"Pika, pika!"

But Pikachu was different; it had only just emerged from its pet egg, and now it couldn't even go outside.

A look of displeasure appeared on Pikachu's round face.

Fortunately, under Karin's soothing, it reluctantly agreed to stay home obediently for the next two days.

"Brothers, asking online: can a yellow-skinned rat be braised?"

Watching Pikachu's disdainful attitude toward him, several black lines instantly appeared on Yun Xi's face.

If it weren't for the fact that Karin liked it, Yun Xi would have already prepared the star anise and spices!

"Forget it, forget it. Looking at how cute you are, I'll let you off!"

Pikachu seemed to sense the murderous intent in Yun Xi's eyes and hurriedly scrambled down from Karin, looking at Yun Xi with an incredibly fawning expression while rubbing against his calf.

It was as if it were saying, "Seeing your dangerous gaze, I'll reluctantly be your partner..."

"Alright, you two just stay at home. Later, I'll go ask the Third Hokage if I can get you both into school."

Looking at the Pikachu beside him, Yun Xi couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

After finishing breakfast, Yun Xi greeted Karin and Pikachu before heading toward the Ninja Academy.

Looking at the desolate streets along the way, the figure of Sasuke suddenly crossed Yun Xi's mind.

This wasn't Yun Xi being overly sentimental; he simply felt that Sasuke was truly pitiful.

Overnight, his clan was wiped out, his parents killed by the brother he loved most, and he didn't even know the truth...

Forget it, I'll find a chance to talk him through it later.

Looking at the Uchiha Clan compound in the distance, Yun Xi thought to himself, After all, I promised Itachi I would look after this kid...

Amidst an oppressive atmosphere, Yun Xi strolled toward the entrance of the Ninja Academy.

He discovered that it was nearly time for class, yet only a group of children were in the schoolyard.

The teachers responsible for instruction had not arrived at the school, and even Iruka was nowhere to be seen.

Are there really not enough ninjas left in the Hidden Leaf Village?

Seeing the scene before him, Yun Xi was somewhat surprised.

However, after a moment's thought, he realized this situation was perfectly normal; after all, the Uchiha Clan, the premier family of the Hidden Leaf Village, had been annihilated.

The Hidden Leaf Village naturally had to enter a state of combat readiness, and on top of that, the village was indeed suffering from a shortage of combat power.

Having gone through the Third Ninja World War, Orochimaru's defection, the Nine-Tails Incident, and the successive departures of Tsunade and Jiraiya, the village's peak combat strength was already severely depleted.

Coupled with the fact that, as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, many Jonin had to be dispatched to carry out various missions.

There were not many ninjas truly remaining within the Hidden Leaf Village.

Given such an unexpected situation, it was only natural that the teachers at the Ninja Academy would be temporarily reassigned.

"Big Brother Yun Xi, you're here!"

Just as Yun Xi stood at the gate, Naruto, who had already arrived at the school, spotted him.

Running over quickly, Naruto said, "It seems like there are no teachers at school today, we can go to the Back Mountain to grill fish again!"

Clearly, Naruto was unaware of the Uchiha Clan Downfall Incident that had occurred yesterday.

In contrast, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, and others from the other prominent families of the Hidden Leaf Village were all staying obediently inside the classroom.

They formed a stark contrast to Naruto.

Have the other families received word as well?

Observing the behavior of Shikamaru and the others, Yun Xi knew they must have received some information.

That was why they were being so well-behaved at school.

"Naruto, don't go to the Back Mountain for the next two days; stay at home."

Coming back to his senses, Yun Xi warned Naruto not to run around for the next couple of days.

Although Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and could be considered absolutely safe within the Hidden Leaf Village.

Yun Xi was worried that Danzo might do something irrational after discovering there were no Sharingan left.

"Oh, I understand. We'll go next time then."

Upon hearing Yun Xi's words, a look of disappointment appeared on Naruto's face.

"Naruto, if we can't go to the Back Mountain, can't we just have a barbecue at school?"

Seeing Naruto's disappointed expression, Yun Xi understood what was on his mind.

And so, a bold decision formed in Yun Xi's heart.

Since there were no teachers at school anyway, wouldn't a campus barbecue be just perfect?

Yun Xi's voice had not been quiet, and the others sitting in the classroom had also heard his suggestion.

Their eyes were filled with a glimmer of anticipation...